Brown University
NCAA Championship - Day 1
No. 9 Women's Crew Qualifies Three Boats for Petite Finals at NCAA Championship
5/29/2026 6:54:00 PM | Women's Crew
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - The No. 9 Brown women's crew team opened competition on Friday at the NCAA DI rowing championship with strong performances across all three morning heat races.Â
Due to a poor weather forecast for Saturday morning, the NCAA moved the semifinals to Friday afternoon.Â
The Varsity Eight, coxed by Summer Balla-Kellett and stroked by Isla Wilding, finished third during the first heat of the day after crossing the finish line in 6:07.104. The Bears qualified for the AB semifinal later in the day, along with second place Virginia (6:04.226) and first place Stanford (5:59.078).
The Second Varsity, coxed by Caitlyn Roddy and stroked by Sydney Chait-Walter, posted a final time of 6:08.889 and finished in second place. The Bears finished comfortably ahead of third place California (6:12.201), while trailing first place Texas (6:03.351) by 5.538 seconds. This result qualified Brown for the AB semifinals.
The Varsity Four, coxed by Brooke Halvorsen and stroked by Ellie Knight, also earned a spot in the AB semifinals after finishing in second place with a time of 6:58.514. Stanford (6:44.712) and Miami (7:03.172) also advanced to the semifinals.
The afternoon races were competitive, with all three Brown crews qualifying for their respective Petite Finals on Sunday. The Varsity Eight finished in fifth place with a time of 6:12.803. Bruno's top boat will compete in the Petite Final for the third time this decade (2021, 2023).Â
The Second Varsity also finished in fifth place with a final time of 6:19.354. They will compete in the Petite Final for the eighth consecutive season. The Varsity Four turned in a fourth place finish with a time of 7:02.607, roughly half a second ahead of fifth place Princeton. The A4 will compete in their third consecutive Petite Final on Sunday.Â
FULL RESULTS AND LINEUPS
V8 Heat
Stanford - 5:59.078
Virginia - 6:04.226
Brown - 6:07.104
Columbia - 6:09.154
Northeastern - 6:30.636
Jacksonville - 6:36.510
V8 Semifinal 1
Texas - 5:59.571
Stanford - 6:01.005
Yale - 6:05.137
Syracuse - 6:06.405
Brown - 6:12.803
Ohio State - 6:17.657
B: Adair Beck
2: Keira Hale
3: Lizzie Hedeman
4: Mary Claire Warren
5: Holly Crews
6: Sadie Bell
7: Madeleine Young
S: Isla Wilding
C: Summer Balla-Kellett
2V8 Heat
Texas - 6:03.351
Brown - 6:08.889
California - 6:12.201
Columbia - 6:17.301
Northeastern - 6:27.941
2V8 Semifinal 1
Stanford - 6:07.274
Princeton - 6:14.852
Yale - 6:15.942
Syracuse - 6:19.158
Brown - 6:19.354
Michigan - 6:25.020
B: Maeve O'Connell
2: Orla Fitzgerald
3: Tessa Tomkinson
4: Alessandra Tuttle
5: Eugenia Rodriguez-Vazquez
6: Calissa Snyder Cox
7: Anna Beinhocker
S: Sydney Chait-Walter
C: Caitlyn Roddy
A4 Heat
Stanford - 6:44.712
Brown - 6:58.514
Miami - 7:03.172
Central Florida - 7:03.988
Columbia - 7:19.438
A4 Semifinal 1
Texas - 6:52.913
Washington - 6:54.951
Rutgers - 6:55.207
Brown - 7:02.607
Princeton - 7:03.147
Yale - 7:04.581
B: Ella BogueÂ
2: Annabelle HarboldÂ
3: Hannah Hickson
S: Ellie Knight
C: Brooke Halvorsen
SUNDAY RACE SCHEDULE
A4 Petite Final - 9:24 a.m.
Lane 1: Miami
Lane 2: Princeton
Lane 3: California
Lane 4: Brown
Lane 5: Syracuse
Lane 6: Yale
2V8 Petite Final - 9:48 a.m.
Lane 1: Miami
Lane 2: Brown
Lane 3: Washington
Lane 4: Syracuse
Lane 5: California
Lane 6: Michigan
V8 Petite Final - 10:12 a.m.
Lane 1: Rutgers
Lane 2: Brown
Lane 3: California
Lane 4: SyracuseÂ
Lane 5: Washington
Lane 6: Ohio State
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the lifeblood of the athletics program, and exists to enhance the student-athlete experience through philanthropic support from alumni, parents, fans and friends. A gift through the Sports Foundation makes an immediate impact on today's Brown Bears and helps them to be their best in the classroom, in competition and most importantly in the community. To learn more about supporting the Bears, please click here.Â
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on X, @BrownU_Bears on Instagram, like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
